


Totem

by lalalive



Category: Muse
Genre: Gen, Horror, Nudity, Paranormal, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-30
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-23 01:10:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalalive/pseuds/lalalive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a report of YouTube video bloggers DH2026 and theMProject. In April of 2010, Dominic Howard went to England to visit his friend Matt Bellamy for a week. They went into Borley Rectory. This is an account of what happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Totem

Towards the end of the research for my Ph.D, I became fascinated by the "second wave" of realism films in production, thanks, in part, to the advent of creative social websites like YouTube and Vimeo. The introduction of reality, and scripted reality, television in companionship with the internet sparked a new direction in filmmaking that prided itself on low budgets and immediate authorship. Where Vimeo encouraged well produced filmmaking and art house developments by semi-professionals to professionals, YouTube saw a strong dynamic shift in what was called vlogging. Video series like _Marble Hornets_ , _Fewdio_ , and curiously chilling uploads by users such as **EverymanHYBRID** became cult canon amongst internet users. Instead of humour posts, videogame 'hangouts' and make-up tutorials, users sought creative expression in 'noise aesthetics' and the horror genre. 

On April 30, 2010, YouTube user **DH2026** (full name: Dominic Howard) uploaded a video entitled _#184-190_ to his channel of 2,413 subscribers. It would be the final upload he would make before deactivating his account three weeks later. The video itself is an account of his trip to England to visit fellow YouTube vlogger **theMProject** (full name: Matthew Bellamy), depicted through seven pieces of footage taken from video cameras and mobile phones. **DH2026** 's channel was a comedy channel, in which he would present everyday information in a humorous way, therefore,the unsettling events in the final video left both fans and casual viewers stunned. Avid fans of the _Marble Hornets_ series were the first to draw attention to the video, before it went viral on hundreds of forums, Reddit and even BuzzFeed. When the user's account was deactivated, the video was removed from the website only to resurface two months later by user **TwerK** (full name: Thomas Kirk). There are only two videos on **TwerK** 's channel: _#184-190_ and _Help Explain This._

_Help Explain This_ was filmed in August 2011 and is the last surviving footage of Matthew Bellamy.

Numerous attempts at paranormal investigations have occurred in the last two years with no results. Psychics have been brought to every location depicted, though their efforts have been futile. The pocket watch in the film has been defined, by paranormal researcher David Kelwayne, as a totem. To quote David:

"A totem is an item left behind by the dead which they had ascribed deep   
personal meaning or symbolism during their life. To come into contact   
with a totem is to contact the spirit attached to it; to become connected  
to the totem is to become connected with the spirit." ( _Seeking Answers:  
Beginner's Guide To The Paranormal_ , 54)

This report exists only to present the video as it was found, in its untouched manner, for archival and historical purposes. The research to be found on the events, the people and locations involved has lead many in vast circles and down endless rabbit holes. It is my hope that the academic world will provide its resources for the many seeking answers about what truly happened to Matthew Bellamy during that week in April. 

~~  
 _#184_  
Duration: 1:46

[Exterior. Night-vision mid-close up of dirt path. Leaves cover the ground and crunch audibly. Feet remain in view as two boys walk the path in brisk, even steps. A British male voice is heard]

M: Are you filming, Dom?

[A second male voice speaks. He is American]

D: I have no idea. Your camera is weird.

M: It's no different from any American camera. It's a SONY. Has the green dot gone on?

D: Well, it's different in the dark. Yeah, it has.

M: Then it's filming. Point it at your face, you knob.

[Camera is lifted and spun towards the holder's face, the night vision on the camera giving him a blue glow. He is young, no more than 24. The fringe of his light hair is caught in his eyes, trapped there by the hood of his sweater. He smiles brightly]

D: And so we meet again! Today I am joined by theMProject -

[camera pans left. Another young man, also no more than 24, is walking briskly with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He squints at the light of the camera and pulls a face by sticking out his tongue]

\- say hi, Matt.

M: [nods once] Hello, Howard Harem.

D: Must you call them that?

M: [shaking black hair out of his eyes; he sniffs, not looking at the camera] You have two thousand subscribers and 1,950 of them are women. Yeah, I'd say it's a harem.

D: That's an insult to my fifty male subscribers.

M: Not if they're gay.

D: Har, har. [turns camera back to his face] So, as you all remember I landed last night in Heathrow, after which I got embarrassingly drunk on incredible beer. We spent most of the day being hungover before getting on a train from - what station was it?

M: [in background] Liverpool Street.

D: Right, yeah. We got a train from there to here, [pulls camera back to wave hand, denoting surrounding location] which is apparently Suffolk…specifically Sudbury. We had a grand idea to go to the Borley Rectory because I'm in England and apparently that means it's ok for Matt to go on a midnight ghost hunt.

M: I'm not ghost hunting, I'm just….exploring.

D: [faces camera; raises one eyebrow]

[Camera turns off]   
~~~  
 _#185_  
Duration: 7:08

[Interior; night. Camera pans from left to right as Dominic breathes heavily. The windows of the rectory are shattered. Leaves scatter the concrete floor. What little furniture there is in the house is tattered and worn. Dom walks to his right, into a small dining area. The camera pans over a wooden table that is badly scratched. A hand comes into view, Dominic's, as he runs his fingers over the marks. The camera pans up and to the left, showing cabinets that are missing their drawers. He leaves the room, slowly walking towards the foyer. A mirror hangs on the wall, the light reflecting off the glass into the lens. He waves.]

M: [distantly; calling] Dom, come up here.

[Dominic's head turns right, facing the direction of Matthew's voice. The camera turns right as he walks straight back toward a carpeted staircase. Slowly, he ascends it, his footsteps quiet. He sniffles. As he approaches the landing, a painting of a pasture comes into view. It is crooked. When he reaches the landing, the camera moves from right to left. There are three bedrooms]

D: [loud whisper] Where are you?

M: [voice from left] In here.

[Camera passes through a doorway. Long shot of Matthew at chest of drawers to the left. There is an empty bed on the right side of the room, the mattress bare and torn. The video pixelates fore a moment, correcting itself a second later. The windows of the bedroom are in tact, though the carpet has been ripped up from the floor in random patches. Dominic walks to where Matthew is standing. Atop the chest are several items: a broken hairbrush, a small empty picture frame, an empty ring box and a pocket watch. Dominic zooms in on the pocket watch. Matthew picks it up. Dominic turns the camera, zooms out to a medium close up of Matthew's face as he inspects it]

M: [whispers] This rectory had hundreds of residents before it was condemned. I wonder whose this was.

D: [also in a whisper] Matt, this place was destroyed by a fire in 1939. Isn't it weird to you that there's still…..things, objects…belongings in here? Nothing seems terribly ruined.

[Pause. Matthew does not reply. Dominic returns the subject to the pocket watch, appeasing his friend] It looks really old. Can't be from any time after 1920, look at the design. Early surrealist or something.

M: So what, now you're an art aficionado? 

D: Fuck off.

[The camera zooms back on to the pocket watch in Matthew's hand. There is a patch of dirt along the rim of the cover, but an intricate design of intertwined clock hands and numbers is distinct.]

M: This is mental. You know the more you look at it, the more it resembles a kind of face. Like from a masquerade. 

[Long pause]

D: I don't see it man. 

[Matthew's thumb comes into view. It presses the button on the side to open the watch. The cover pops open with a soft click, revealing an almost Victorian clock face.]

M: Too much to ask for it to be working, isn't it. [laughs]

D: Probably needs to be wound. 

[Matthew closes the pocket watch.]

[Cut. Interior. Dominic thuds down the stairs after Matthew, the two boys laughing. They come to a stop in the parlor. Matthew inspects bookshelves, looking for something or nothing. Dominic turns the camera away and zooms in on a picture frame. It is badly singed. The image of a woman, who looks almost sad, is barely discernible.]

D: [muttering] Something about this……isn't……

[The sound of piano notes echo loudly through the room. Dominic gasps loudly, swears, and is visibly shaken as he turns toward the noise. Matthew sits at a piano by the back of the room, playing Satie's "Gnossienne No. 1." He is chuckling. Dominic approaches him.]

D: There's a fucking piano?

M: [plays uninterrupted] Scare you, did I? 

D: Matt, is there anything about this that's ok? You said this place was destroyed by a fire and has been abandoned. Logic this out for me: why would there be a piano in a burned down house? Wouldn't the city have this cleared out?

[Matthew shrugs]

D: I think we should go. 

M: Don't want to spend the night here? We haven't seen anything.

D: I paid £35 for a perfectly good bed at a B&B. I'll cut my losses ok. 

M: OK. [He stops playing. The silence is deafening.]

[Cut. Exterior. Dominic and Matthew walking along a residential side walk. Matthew is holding the camera this time, pointed at Dominic in a long shot. Night vision is switched off, faces now illuminated by street lamps they pass.]

M: [laughing] Say what you said again. 

D: [clearly irritated, but with a smile] I said you're a twunt.

M: Huzzah! Dom has spent 30 hours in this country and is already adopting our language. 

D: Yeah, well you are. Tell the audience what you did.

M: [turns the camera to his face and holds it out. His leather jacket is unzipped, revealing A Horrors band-tee shirt] I've been a naughty boy. [His other hand reaches into his pocket. He pulls out the pocket watch] Dominic's upset with me because I wanted a souvenir. 

D: It's not yours, Matt.

M: [turns his face to Dominic, camera still aimed at himself. He puts the watch back in his pocket] It's technically not anyone's. Besides, this is one thing we could at least fix. 

[Camera turns off]

~~  
 _#186_  
Duration: 2:01

[Interior. Hotel bedroom. Dominic sits at the desk provided, laptop open as he uploads footage from the video camera onto his computer. His back is to the camera. The pocket watch twirls in front of the screen. Matthew hums. The camera flips, revealing his face. It is clear he is filming on his iPhone. He starts to mouth lyrics to "Don't Stop Me Now," which is playing in the background. He flips the camera back to the watch.]

D: [turns head quickly over shoulder] Holy shit, come look at this.

[Matthew drops the pocket watch and hoists himself off the sofa. He is wearing plaid flannel pants. He approaches the desk, leaning against the back of Dominic's chair and extending his arm as he films]

M: What is it.

D: You tell me. [looks back at Matt]

[Dominic has Final Cut open. He presses play on footage taken earlier in the evening. He has selected footage from when he ascended the stairs and entered the master bedroom. It plays without sound.]

M: What am I looking for….I don't…

D: [quietly] Just wait. 

[The footage shows the camera panning through the room. As it comes to the bed, the footage warps, revealing a figure wearing black sitting on the mattress. It turns to look at the camera. It is wearing a white mask. The footage warps again. The figure is gone]

M: [reels back] What the fuck is that?! Did you put that in there?

D: [turns to look at Matthew] No. How would I do that?

M: I don't know, you're the film wizard. I use iMovie. Maybe you have clever special effects or something. 

D: I can assure you that I have no idea how to superimpose an image that clear onto digital footage. I took one semester of New Media, I'm hardly advanced.

M: How did you not see it when you were filming?

D: I don't know, the camera went all pixelated when I was filming but I just thought the battery was running low or something. 

M: You better not be having me off.

D: What does that sentence even mean? 

M: Is this punishment for taking the pocket watch?

D: I'm really not that upset about the pocket watch. Why would I do that?

M: Whatever. Let's just go to bed and forget about it.

D: Fine by me.

[Video ends] 

~~~  
 _#187_  
Duration: 0:53

[Interior. Mid-Day. Close up of Dominic's face. He stares at something out of view. Behind him, the scenery has changed. Band posters line the green wall, gig tickets and setlists framed next to them. This is what many assume is Matthew's bedroom.]

D: [whispers] He's been like this all morning. I have no idea what the hell is going on. He was fine yesterday when we got back from Borley. Fine when we went to lunch, fine when we went to The Borderline for the Lescop gig. Now, he won't stop staring at that goddamn pocket watch. Look.

[The camera is flipped, again the film is from an iPhone. Matthew sits shirtless on the bed, the pocket watch in his left hand. He stares almost impassively at it.]

D: [loudly] Matt.

[Matthew does not respond]

D: [louder] Matt, you're a fucking wanker.

[Matthew does not respond]

D: [mutters quietly] Jesus Christ.

[The camera tilts and wobbles, tipping down for a moment as Dominic bends to pick something up. A shoe is thrown in frame and lands on the bed right next to Matthew. Matthew lifts his head, dropping the watch. He smiles]

M: Want breakfast?

D: [long pause; quiet breathing] Uh huh.

~~~~  
 _#188_  
Duration: 3:21

[Exterior. Mid-Day. Extreme long shot of Matthew as he stands in front of a wooden sign that says Boxer's Lake. From the pockets of his leather jacket he pulls the pocket watch]

M: [looking over his shoulder; calls] You sure this is a good idea.

D: [loudly; voice garbled by wind into microphone] You should have seen yourself man. It's gotta be the watch.

[Matthew reels back and throws the watch into the lake. He stares after it. Shoulders drooped]

[Cut. Interior of a car. Matthew is driving. Dominic points the camera at his face.]

D: How do you feel?

M: Like my soul has been ripped from my chest.

[Pauses. Looks at Dominic]

M: [bursts into laughter] Chill out, Dom. I feel fine. 

D: [laughs weakly]

[Cut. Interior. Matthew's kitchen. Dominic films as Matthew brews tea.]

M: You want any?

D: Nah, water is fine.

M: [looks up at camera] Are you going to film everything? 

D: We have an interested audience. Need to keep them satisfied.

M: [begins to pull off shirt]

D: [laughter] What the hell.

M: [straightens and flattens shirt] You said satisfied. 

[Matthew walks to a cabinet to the left. He makes to open it, but his attention is brought to something on the counter beneath it. He pauses. His hand slowly drops from the knob of the cabinet. The colour drains from his face]

D: What?

[Matthew brings his eyes to the camera, lips parted. He is visibly disturbed. He lifts his right hand. He holds up the pocket watch. Dominic's breath becomes heavy and labored]

M: [voice small] What the fuck.

[Camera turns off]

~~~  
 _#189_  
Duration: 8:32

[Interior. Mid-Day. Matthew's car, again. Dominic holds the camera as Matthew drives, lens pointed out the windshield] 

D: Slow down, man.

M: [voice hollow] No. The fucking watch is _ticking_ …and _existing_. How is any of what just happened possible?

D: I don't know, I don't know.

M: This is fucking twisted.

D: What are you going to do?

M: Leave it in a field? Pawn it off? Whatever, as long as it's far away from me.

D: Why not burn it?

M: Any fire I make wouldn't get the metal hot enough.

D: Just don't get reckless.

[Cut. Interior. A Pawnshop. The camera pans along a shelf. Various objects come into focus. A door opens and an older man comes into view from the back of the store. In the left of the frame, Matthew walks over and introduces himself]

M: Hi. Uhm, I'm Matt. I need to sell a pocket watch?

[The store clerk looks from Matthew to Dominic]

Clerk: Get your mate to turn the camera off and then we can do business. 

[Cut. Interior. Matthew's car. Dominic has rested the camera on the dashboard, pointed at the passing scenery]

M: WOOOO! £650 for a shitty old watch!!

D: I think the fact that it was still working was what sold him.

M: Who knows how long it will work for. We practically robbed him.

D: _You_ practically robbed him. I almost got thrown out for having a camera.

M: Eh. He was probably pissed up. I would be if I had to sit in that drab building eight hours a day. 

[Cut. Interior. Night. Matthew's kitchen. Matthew presses play on his answering machine as he takes off his coat. Dominic sits at a chair at the kitchen table and zooms in on a Sainsbury's frozen dinner.]

D: Mmmmmm.

[In the background, a voice is heard on the answering machine.]

Recorded: Bellamy. It's Geoff. You sold me a watch not two hours ago. I don't appreciate being fucked with. [Dominic brings the camera around, landing on Matt who is paused at his refrigerator staring at the machine] I get enough shit in my town, I don't need non-locals breezing through and pulling pranks. I'm giving you 24 hours to return the watch or my money to the store. If you don't, I'm calling the cops and we can settle this with legal action. [Machine beeps]

[Matthew remains paused at the refrigerator - frozen. He begins to tense and Dominic gets up from the kitchen table. He approaches him slowly, before Matthew slams the door shut and rushes into the living room]

D: [shouts] Matt!

M: [yells] Where the fuck is it? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT WITH ME?

[Dominic enters the living room and turns right. Matthew is standing in front of his mantle, arms hitting his chest. He stares at the ceiling and screams]

M: YOU CAN HAVE YOUR FUCKING WATCH BACK, I DON'T WANT IT.

D: MATT, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE.

M: [looks at Dom] Of course there is!! How else would any of this be happening? [Turns abruptly and heads down the hallway. He disappears into his room.

D: Shit. 

[Dominic follows and enters Matthew's room. Matthew is pulling books out of shelves. He abandons that project and quickly goes to his bed, where he upturns his mattress]

M: WHERE IS IT, HUH?

D: Matt, calm the hell down!

[Matthew turns and rushes past Dominic. Dominic follows]

D: Matt, ripping up the house isn't going to solve anything!

M: It's not in my room, it's not in the kitchen. It makes itself known, right? It wants to fucking be seen. ATTENTION WHORE.

D: It's an inanimate object, Matt, stop it. 

[Matthew stomps into the kitchen and picks up his jacket. He pauses for a moment, softening, and reaches into a pocket. He pulls out the watch]

M: [staring at the watch] Something….someone…whatever…wants me to have this. I don't. Fucking. Want it.

[**In the recorded footage, a voice is heard. It clearly says 'but you took it.' Neither boy reacts to it and neither has spoken. This voice was pointed out by YouTube user **Sarkozam12** **]

[camera turns off]

~~~  
 _#190_  
Duration: 6:00

[Interior. Night. The couches and chairs have been removed from Matthew's living room. Two pillows are placed on the ground, side by side, beneath the coffee table where a ouija board as been set up. The scene is lit by numerous candles along the floor and mantle. Fingers over the microphone cause muffled noises and garbled sounds. Matthew enters from frame right. He sits, in jeans a tee shirt, on one of the pillows. He takes a swig of cider before setting it next to him. He looks slightly above the camera.]

D: This is a terrible idea, Matt.

M: Is the camera set up?

D: [pauses] Yeah, it's just about….done. Tight on the tripod.

M: Good.

[Dominic enters from the bottom of frame left. It's a long shot of the living room. Dominic sits next to Matthew. They look at each other briefly. Matthew draws his eyes away and onto the oujia board. Dominic's brow furrows, and he makes motions to move his hand towards Matthew before drawing it back. Matthew hardens]

M: Let's do this.

[Dominic pauses. Matthew looks at him once more]

M: Don't tell me you're quitting on this.

D: [looks at ground] Ouija board are scary, serious shit, Matt. I don't think we should fuck around with this.

M: It's just a toy, mate.

[Dominic shrugs and puts his hand on the planchette. Matthew follows and does the same]

M: [uncomfortable] What do I say?

D: [loudly] Is there anyone here with us?

[They remain quiet and wait. The planchette does not move.]

M: What if we contact Zozo? That's the opposite of what I want.

D: Don't be stupid. 

[Both are silenced by the planchette which has started to move in swirls across the board.]

M: Is that you?

D: No, I'm barely touching this.

M: It's not me.

[The planchette stops on the word 'Bye']

M: [pauses] Well, that's sinister.

[The video warps into pixels and corrects itself. Three candles have been blown out. Dominic is panicked]

D: What the fuck did that?

M: [loudly] What is your name?

[The planchette moves, quickly. Dominic says the letters it stops on.]

D: L…A…I…R…R…E. D…D…D…E…A…T…H.

M: Lairreedddeath? The hell?

D: I'm busy focusing on the part that - [The video warps. the masked figure from #186 appears behind Matthew, getting closer after each pixel correction. A white hand with sharp nails reaches for his neck. It disappears] in the fire?

[The Marimba ringtone of an iPhone goes off]

M: Shit. That's mine.

D: Leave it.

[The planchette spins out of control and onto the floor. All the candles are blown out. The camera shifts to night vision. The boys draw their attention to the bright light from the camera]

D: Does your camera shift modes automatically?

M: No, what -

[A loud thud is heard, the sound of a door slamming open to the left. The door to what is was considered a broom closet has flung open, but it's interior is black and occasionally rattled with static. Dominic turns to look at the noise, but Matthew disappears from view. We hear him scream]

D: MATT?!? [Dominic searches frantically for where the sound is coming from. He turns his attention back to the door] MATT? 

[Dominic gets up and approaches the closet but the door slams shut. The lights of the house come on. Dominic opens the door to the closet. It is just a closet. The tripod falls over. The screen goes blue and flashes NO BATTERY]

~~~

The nature of the editing and allusion by Matthew that Dominic had edited special effects in post production led many initial viewers of _#184-190_ to believe that the story of Matthew's disappearance had been a clever hoax. While this report remains unbiased, it is important to point out several facts. 

Firstly, it is true that Matthew Bellamy went missing from his home April 25, 2010. The phone call on his mobile was from his mother, mentioned in Dominic Howard's police report, who had not seen her son since April 11, 2010. Secondly, the pocket watch and the clothing that Matthew disappeared in have never been found. Until August 2011, the footage seen here depicted the last known whereabouts of Matthew Bellamy. When Dominic deactivated his account, _#184-190_ was removed from YouTube, but not before user **TwerK** had downloaded the video to a flashdrive. In June of 2010, the video was uploaded again so fans and interested parties could continue to study the video in search of clues or proof of a hoax. It is worth noting that while there is a documented friendship between **DH2026** and **theMProject** (ie: both were subscribers to each other's channels, the earliest comments on each party's videos date back to 2008, **DH2026** tagged **theMProject** in a video called Top 10 Films of 2009, etc) **TwerK** did not subscribe to either channel, nor has he confessed to knowing either personally. 

It is because of this reason that the footage in _Help Explain This_ is, in a word, astounding. The film itself was uploaded with a description that consisted of a personal plea from Kirk to help explain what he had caught. Once the video was live, Kirk experienced a brief period of notoriety on the internet, while also going under fire by those close to Matthew who called his video 'tactless and cruel.' It is also worth noting that Dominic Howard has become reclusive since these events and has not been available for comment since late 2010, on advice from his therapist.

~~  
 _Help Explain This_  
Duration: 4:03

[Interior. Mid-Day. Footsteps thud up the stairs of the Borley Rectory. The camera is pointed at the landing, but the painting is gone. The person arrives at the landing and he speaks. He is Scottish.]

T: Ok. So. Tom Kirk here. You buggers wanted me to visit the rectory while I was on hols. Yes, yes, I know it's weird that my YouTube channel only has one video on it, but you bastards on Reddit convinced me to make this. Here we are [camera pans right to left]. Exact same spot where DH2026 stood. As you can see there is no painting on the wall. Ehm.

[He turns to his left and enters the bedroom, panning the camera right to left as Dominic had done. A naked figure stands in the back right corner of the room, his back to the camera, facing the wall]

T: Again, the room is completely empty. The walls are badly burned. I know you all want to believe this was a hoax, but there's no way these two lads had the budget. You can't even get up the staris proper without worrying about falling through.

[He turns left, zooming to an extreme long shot. The right side of the room out of frame.] 

T: This is where theMProject found the pocket watch. No chest of drawers here. You can see the boards of the floor are burned. I'm too afraid to even put weight there.

[He turns the camera back to right, slightly, showing the whole of the room. The figure from the corner has turned around and is standing naked in a full body shot. The camera pixelates. The figure is now close to the lens, able to be viewed from the middle of the waist up. His mouth and eyes are wide open, but blackened as though holes. The figure is clearly Matthew Bellamy.]

T: That's it, then. Sorry the video was so lame.

[He turns and leaves the room. The camera does one last pan from the landing back to the room. The foyer below is empty. The room he had just exited is empty]

Fin.

**Author's Note:**

> The locations in this story - Borley Rectory, Boxer's Lake, Liverpool Street Station, Suffolk, and Sudbury - are all real places. Borley Rectory was known as 'the most haunted house in England' and it did get severely burned in 1939. There is actually a woman who haunted the building named Marie Lairre. Matt and Dom do not belong to me. They are real people. I am not affiliated with Muse aside from the fact that they own 96% of my bank account.The character Geoff belongs to me. The events are entirely fictional.


End file.
